What are your thoughts on Tithing?

Obviously, as an atheist, few religious behaviors make sense to me, but Tithing is especially interesting. Objectively, even if there was a God I can't imagine why he would ever require money... but I do understand that a church needs money to function. However a shared responsibility amongst followers to support the church is distinctly different from a preacher telling the congregation that "all blessings come from sown seeds", which is specifically what I have heard many preachers say. This line of thinking perverts taking money from often poor people even further. The members now are essentially investing money for future returns in the form of "blessings" as though Jesus is also
acting as a holy stock broker. Even more disturbing, already tight for money, people couldn't be more eager to give away the little that they have. I don't know the intentions or beliefs of these pastors but either way I find this methodology to be despicable and dishonest. I sometimes wonder all pastors aren't just intentionally full of BS with intentions to manipulate or if they do indeed believe what they are selling... Anyways, any thoughts on the subject?

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Amusingly, the tithing religious would lap that phrase right up. I am not sure if tithing is specific to Christianity or not. Ten percent of one's income is a serious consideration if you are strapped for cash. I wonder the reaction if someone were to take from the "plate" rather than leave something?

Idk what could be worse than "stealing from God" haha which is what I have heard said of those that attend church without Tithing so I guess taking money is double theft. I do know a lot of people tight with money and it's sad to see them willingly giving it away with hopes that it truly will get them a return with interest.

Giving money to the church, to me, is akin to giving blood to the leech. If the preacher is up front, and asks for donations to help pay the utilities and keep the place in good shape, then big deal. But if, as it usually happens, that he's asking for offerings to god, in exchange for... whatever it is that people think they're getting out of it, then no. That's not only immoral, but disgusting as well. Tithing is just taking it the next step up and basically paying the mafia for protection.

I've heard churches say "God is asking for your money to test your obedience," which is absolute bullshit, but I have also heard others be honest and say they need the money for rent and upkeep; not mandatory.

In the latter case, I don't have a big issue with it, because it is up to each person to decide whether to give or not (not counting peer pressure).

My thoughts on tithing? Have you seen the Vatican? Gold and polished marble and priceless works of art as far as the eye can see. The Church wrote the bible. The bible says you should give 10% to the Church. Wow, that's a lucky coincidence. The Church is for-profit.

Case in point:

I live in the Katrina zone. After the storm, a lot of catholic churches in the area closed their doors because not enough parishioners were left to make it worthwhile; they had evacuated far and wide. Never mind that the ones who remained were in desperate need of hope and charity, not to mention food and water, and were unable to travel to where there were still churches open. The Church was unwilling to operate at a loss, for the good of the followers who stayed, for even a few months until enough residents could move back to turn a profit again. That makes the Church's true motivation pretty clear to me.

The notion that a typical Catholic parish "turns a profit" I find very amusing. Most suburban parishes live hand-to-mouth, and frequently do not allocate enough money to maintenance. Almost all urban parishes run at a substantial loss, and many rural parishes run at a loss. Functionally, like most charity, wealthier suburban communities and larger donors subsidize urban work, and to some extent rural work. Men and women religious who don't take a personal salary help substantially with the urban work, and with some rural work (like the work on Native American reservations).

Donations within Catholicism typically run about 2% in close-knit ethnic communities, and about 0.5% of income in a typical suburban area, so nowhere near "tithing". Most everyday Catholics consider charitable giving of all sorts, not just to the Church, to be a form of tithing.

I have no idea what happened in New Orleans, but a lot of urban churches across the U.S. are being closed/consolidated. Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, New York I all know personally have engaged in or are engaged in that sort of decision process. Sometimes that's done poorly (Boston, Cleveland). Sometimes it's done well, with a lot of community input (New York is trying right now). I expect it's not a result of Katrina, it's a result of changing demographics and the national shortage of priests.

As to the Vatican's priceless works of art, I think what you're really seeing is just a function of the Vatican's long existence. If you were to successfully invest $1 in something back in 1400, then you'd be quite wealthy by now. Simple banking compound interest would be sufficient.

In the Vatican's case, the works of art are priceless, and the view is that they can't be sold since those things are held in stable patrimony for all humanity. Would you really want Michelangelo's Pieta sold off to a billionaire's private collection?

What an a** that man was. That wasn't from tithing, though. If I remember correctly, that was partly from tax dollars and partly from private donations. I was delighted when Pope Francis demanded his resignation.